Odom pleads guilty to federal election violation

Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 01:26 PM.

Destin developer Jay Odom pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of causing a presidential campaign committee to make a false statement to the Federal Election Commission.

He will be sentenced April 23 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Odom was charged with soliciting — either directly or indirectly — employees, their family members and employees and family members of an associate to make contributions to what probably was the 2008 presidential campaign of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

According to documents filed with an indictment made public in January, Odom reimbursed 10 employees, associates or family members for making contributions of $2,300, the maximum allowed by law.

"Odom admitted to both knowing that this activity was illegal and intending to conceal the true source and amount of the campaign contributions,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pensacola.

Odom did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Odom’s actions violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, according to the charging documents.

The documents state that Odom “knowingly and willfully” made a fraudulent statement when “federal candidate A” filed a campaign finance report with the FEC in January bearing the names of the 10 unnamed contributors as $2,300 donors.

The documents do not specifically indicate the contributions went to Huckabee, but all 10 of the Odom-funded contributions were made on or around Dec. 27, 2007.
Odom, his wife Haley, his son J.G. Odom and his son’s wife, Becky, made $2,300 donations on Dec. 28, 2007, to Huckabee for President Inc., according to the website FEC.gov.

Odom also was to host a campaign visit by Huckabee to Destin in January 2008. The event was called off because of scheduling difficulties.

Odom, who owns Crystal Beach Development, has developed a number of large properties in Okaloosa and Walton counties, including Uptown Station shopping center in Fort Walton Beach and Hammock Bay subdivision in Freeport. He also owns Destin Jet at Destin Airport.

A Leon County grand jury indicted Odom in May 2009 on charges of official misconduct.

He was accused of conspiring with then-state House Speaker Ray Sansom and then-Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg to use $6 million illegally funneled from the state budget to build a hangar at Destin Airport for his business.

The charges were amended to grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft, but were thrown out at trial in March 2011.

Destin developer Jay Odom pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of causing a presidential campaign committee to make a false statement to the Federal Election Commission.

He will be sentenced April 23 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Odom was charged with soliciting — either directly or indirectly — employees, their family members and employees and family members of an associate to make contributions to what probably was the 2008 presidential campaign of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

According to documents filed with an indictment made public in January, Odom reimbursed 10 employees, associates or family members for making contributions of $2,300, the maximum allowed by law.

"Odom admitted to both knowing that this activity was illegal and intending to conceal the true source and amount of the campaign contributions,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pensacola.

Odom did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Odom’s actions violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, according to the charging documents.

The documents state that Odom “knowingly and willfully” made a fraudulent statement when “federal candidate A” filed a campaign finance report with the FEC in January bearing the names of the 10 unnamed contributors as $2,300 donors.

The documents do not specifically indicate the contributions went to Huckabee, but all 10 of the Odom-funded contributions were made on or around Dec. 27, 2007.
Odom, his wife Haley, his son J.G. Odom and his son’s wife, Becky, made $2,300 donations on Dec. 28, 2007, to Huckabee for President Inc., according to the website FEC.gov.

Odom also was to host a campaign visit by Huckabee to Destin in January 2008. The event was called off because of scheduling difficulties.

Odom, who owns Crystal Beach Development, has developed a number of large properties in Okaloosa and Walton counties, including Uptown Station shopping center in Fort Walton Beach and Hammock Bay subdivision in Freeport. He also owns Destin Jet at Destin Airport.

A Leon County grand jury indicted Odom in May 2009 on charges of official misconduct.

He was accused of conspiring with then-state House Speaker Ray Sansom and then-Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg to use $6 million illegally funneled from the state budget to build a hangar at Destin Airport for his business.

The charges were amended to grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft, but were thrown out at trial in March 2011.